More than any other nation, the United States has shaped the course of world history during the twentieth century which has been called "the American century." In this absorbing and accessible book, a group of leading scholars of American history examine the century as a coherent whole, highlighting the continuities underlying the cyclical change and apparent diversity that have marked America's development since 1900.

A cohesive collection of twelve essays, the book brilliantly achieves its ambitious agenda: to present a comprehensive overview of the major issues shaping U.S. society and government during this century; to examine the impact of recurrent historical forces; to probe the major historiographical debates that have subjected important themes and personalities to revisionist and counter-revisionist interpretation; and to reflect a broad comparative perspective that takes into account the nation's uniqueness as well as its role as a member of the larger Atlantic community.